FlexStep Cas: Hvalsø Pharmacy in Denmark

FlexStep and fixed staircase at Hvalsø Pharmacy in Denmark

Several pharmacies, shops and other public buildings face a challenge to create accessibility to all to their building if the entrance is not in street level.

Some buildings have enough space for a ramp that comply with the slope requirements or a platform lift that can stand next to the staircase – the challenge can be that many accessibility solutions will impair the existing architecture of the building, and most want to preserve the existing aesthetics of the building, despite of the accessibility requirements.

Preserve the original architecture

At Hvalsø Pharmacy in Denmark, they have solved the challenge by installing a FlexStep with a fixed staircase next to it, so you cannot see that one of the “staircases” is a platform lift for wheelchair users, pedestrians, etc.

Charlotte Wiberg, Pharmacist at Hvalsø Pharmacy, states on their choice of FlexStep: “The alternative solution was to build a ramp. It would be much cheaper, but it would also be ugly. Above all, there would be no respect for the 150-year-old pharmacy building and I do not want to ruin the beautiful architecture.”

The FlexStep, the fixed staircase, and the repossess at the entrance to the pharmacy are built on top of the pharmacy’s original stone staircase, and they are designed with the steps, handrails and repos in identical wood, so the solution is consistent. When entering the door, the door is opened with a door pressure, so it is completely unproblematic for a wheelchair user to access the shop.

Can be used by everyone

“It is used by anyone who has difficulty walking the stairs – from walking impaired to wheelchair users and people with strollers. Customers get used to it and learn how to use it. And we gladly help them the first time, so they see how easy it is to use,” Charlotte Wiberg says.

(Charlotte Wiberg quotes are published in ”Nomeco News”, no. 3 – July 2018.)